Motor vehicle brake



Filed March 19, 1954 3 Sheecr's--Sheei'l 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Aug. 18, 1936. H. FORD MOTOR VEHICLE BRAKE Filed March 19, 1954 3Sheets-Sheecl 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Aug. 18, 1936.

H. `FORD I 2,051,474

MOTOR VEHICLE BRAKE Filed March 19, 1954 3 SheesfSheeI 3 Patented Aug.18, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT CFFICE Motor Company, Dearborn,

tion of Delaware Mich., a. corpora- Appiication March 19, 1934,serial'Nogyrrfiazss 1 Claim.

The object of my invention is to provide a motor vehicle wherein thearrangement of chassis elements is especially adapted for use. inconnection with a vehicle body of streamlined shape. The body per seforms no part of my invention, the novel design and arrangement of theelements which make the use of such body more practical constituting myinvention.

What ls believed to be a novel characteristic of my vehicle constructionis that the motor is disposed directly over the rear axle, there being adrive shaft and torque tube extending therefrom forwardly to the frontaxle which is driven by the motor. Several advantages arise from thisconstruction, the first being that the seating arrangement of thevehicle may be materially improved, it being possible to place the seatswell forwardly of the positions occupied by the seats in theconventional car so that the passengers are disposed substantially at apoint intermediate of the front and rear axles. The vertical movement orbouncing of the passengers due to road irregularities on the wheels 1smaterially lessened for this reason.

Further, this construction incorporates all of the inherent advantagesof vehicles having the torque tube type of drive. Still further, theapplicants constructionk differs vfrom the many designs of rear-enginedcars in that his engine is placed directly over the rear ame, whereas inall of such vehicles withwhich applicant is familiar the engine isplaced either forwardly or rearwardly oi the rear axle. it will beapparent that when the engine is placed forwardly oi the rear axle anexcessive wheel baselength is required to provide for a given 'passengercompartment area while, when the engine is placed rearwardly oi the rearaxle then an excessive length oi the vehicle is required or else therear wheels must be placed directly under the rear seat of the car. Itis believed that only when the engine is placed directly above the rearaxle that the most desirable seating arrangement, wheel base, and lengthoi body can be obtained.

It hasv been proposed in the past to place an engine directly above therear axle of a vehicle and to transmit the engine torque through areturn gear box, disposed forwardly oi the engine, rearwardly beneaththe engine to the rear axle. Aside from the disadvantage in cost andinemciency voi the return gear box, such device has a furtherdisadvantage in thatV the clearance required for the driving axle onsuch a unit necessitates placing the motor a considerable distancehigher in the frame than is required where a dead axle is employed. Sucha dead axle may be bowed downwardly at its center, of course, to clearthe motor when same is placed in a very low position. Consequently, withthe arrangement shown a very low center of gravity is obtained togetherwith an ideal seating arrangement, car length and weight distribution.

A further object of my invention is to provide a front wheel drivevehicle wherein both the front and rear wheels are simultaneouslypivoted to steer the car. 'I'he vehicle is believed unique in that aboutsixty per cent of the steering is accomplished by the front wheels withonly forty per cent resulting from the rear wheels. This constructionpermits a short turning radius with a permissible angular movement ofthe front driving wheel universal joints while at the same time the rearend of the car, being moved laterally to a lesser degree than the frontwheels, is prevented irom swinging in towards the object away from whichthe front end of the car is being steered. This arrangement eliminates amajor inherent defect in all other four-wheel steered vehicles of whichthe applicant is familiar.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide an improved brakehook-up whereby the brakes on all four wheels are simultaneouslyoperated.

vWith these and other objects in view, my invention consists in thearrangement, construe tion and combination of the variousv parts of myimproved device, as described in the specification, claimed in my claimsandillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l shows av plan view of my improved chassis construction. v

Figure 2 shows a side view of the chassis, shown in Figure 1, astreamlined vehicle body being shown in position thereon by dottedlines.

Figure 3 is a central vertical sectional view, taken on the line 3 3 ofFigure 1,

Figure 4 is aside view of the steering mechaanism employed, the vehicleframe being shown by dotted lines to better illustrate the'construction.

Figure 5 is a vertical central sectional view through the right frontvehicle wheel, illustrating both the driving means and brake applyingmechanism.

Figure 6 is asectional view, taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the brake hook-up employedin my vehicle.

Figure 8 .is a view of the brake applying mech- I pair of radius rodsI5. The forward ends of these radius rods are secured to each otherV andare universally connected by means of a ball joint I3 with the centercross member I2. A rear axle I1, of I-beam section, extends transverselybeneath the rear portions of the radius rods I5, being secured to eachradius rod. It will be noted that this axle is disposed somewhatforwardly from the spring I4 and that each end of the axle I1 isprovided with a knuckle joint I8upon which joints rear wheels I9 arerotatably mounted. These rear wheels are provided with suitable steeringarms and a tie rod 20 is provided which connects the twowheels forsteering. The specie construction employed herein is not illusl tratedin detail as any one of the many construe-'- tions heretofore used onthe front axle of the conventional vehicle is suitable for use herein.

It will be noted that I have provided a V-type motor 2| and transmission22, the rear end of which is mounted upon the cross member I3 while theforward end of the motor is resiliently mounted upon the center crossmember I2. A torque tube 23 is universally secured to the forward end ofthe transmission unit 22 and extends forwardly to Aa front'driving axle24, this axle being of tubular construction with an enlarged centerportion in which is mounted a ring gear and differential unit. A pair ofdiagonally extending radius rods 25 extend from near the rearward end ofthe torque tube 23 laterallyand forwardly beyond the outer ends of theaxle 24, these radius rods being secured to the adjacent portions of theaxle. The radius rods project about 6 or 8 inches in front of theaxle-unit 24. A front transverse spring 26 is provided with its centerportion secured to the frame member II, the outer ends of the springbeing shackled to the forward ends of the radius rods 25. Thus, thecenter cross member of the frame absorbs the braking and drivingstresses on the .wheels by means of the radius rods I5 and 25 insubstantially the same manner as is accomplished in the conventionaltransverse spring equipped vehicle.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2,'. it will be noted that I have provided asteering gear assembly 21 which is secured to the forward left-handcorner of the frame member IB. I have also provided a beam 28 which ispivotally mounted on the lefthand frame side member intermediate of theframe ends. It will be noted from Figure 4 that the upper and lower armsof the beam 28 are not of equal length and that vthe upper or longer endn of the lever is pivotally connected to a front drag link 29, whichdrag link extends forwardly where it is pivotally connected to asteering arm 30 of i the steering arm associated with the rear wheels ofthe vehicle. Because the two arms of the beam 23 are of unequal length agiven angular movement of this lever causes about 50 per cent greaterangular movement of the fr nt wheels than of ythe rear wheels. An advanage results from this structure in that the angular movement required ofthe front wheels for steering is reduced from about 40 degrees down toabout 25 degrees so that I am able to use universal joints'at the wheelshaving a working range ofabout 25 degrees. If a l0-degree movement wererequired an entirely diiferent type of jointl would need be provided,which could be done only ata much greater cost.

'I'he maximum turning movement of the rear wheels is only about 15degrees which occurs when the front wheels are turned through 25degrees. The front wheels vare of course swung oppositely from the rearwheels, but due to the extra front wheel movement, the rear wheels donot swing the rear end of the car in a direction opposite to the lateralmovement of the front end. In the conventional car whereinonly the front'wheels are steered, the car upon being turned pivots around the rearwheels so that the path of the rear wheels over one length of the carcurves in the same direction as the front wheels are turned. 'Incontrast to this cars in which all four wheels are steered equallyfollow a different path. In such cars thev vehicle upon being turnedpivots around the center point of the car sothat the path of the rearwheels over one car length curves towards the side opposite from that towhich the front end is moving. This is a dangerous characteristic as itin effect causes the rear end of the car to move closer to an objectfrom which the lfront end is being steered. In the applicantsarrangement the rear wheels follow a path which, although not divergingtowards the direction in which the front wheels are turned, still doesnot'swing toward the opposite side. Thus, safe steering with a minimumturning radius and minimum universal joint movement is provided.

Referring to Figure 5,. which'illustrates one of the front drivingwheels of the vehicle, it will be noted that the outer ends of the axle24 are each flared out to form halves of sphericaljoint housings. A pairof pins 33 are formed integrally with each sphere, the pins beingvertically aligned on an axis very similar to the axis of the king pinin the conventional car. A pairof tapered roller bearings 34 are securedon each of these pins, while a spherical member 351s secured'to theperiphery of these bearings so as to pivot around the axis of the pins33. The steering arm 30 is formed integrally with the member 35 so thatoscillation of this arm swings the member 35 around the axis of the'pins33. A spindle 36 is formed integrally with the member 35 and extendsoutwardly therefrom, the spindle having a pair of spaced tapered rollerbearings 31 mounted thereon. A brake drum hub 38 is rotatably.,

Suitable brake shoes, not shown in the drawings,

are secured to the anchor plate in the conventional manner and act uponthe interior of the drum 39.

The mechanism which isprovided for operating the brakes is housed forthe most part within the radius rods I5 and 25, this general scheme andthe general arrangement of vthe brake shoes and associated mechanismbeing disclosed in my actuaire United States Patent 1,806,615. However,the application herein differs from that disclosed in the reference. Themechanism for operating the brakes on the front wheels consists of apair of brake operating rods di which are reciprocally mounted withinthe front radius rods 25, the forward ends of these rods being shapedinto sockets into which ball ended levers d2 are secured. Each lever l2is affixed to one end of a brake operating shaft 453, which shaft isrotatably mounted in a housing which extends laterally -from each radiusrod. It will be noted that the outerend of each housing itl is providedwith an integral pin 55 which projects up into a suitable opening in thelower pin 33 to thereby align the housing 36 with the pivotal axis ofthe wheel. A cam 35 is provided on the outer end of each shaft 33 whichreciprocates a wedge ill, this wedge expanding the brake shoes intoengagement with the drum 35.

Due to the accurate method of securing the end of the housing 45 to theking pin a rigid non-chattering brake results.

Referring to Figure 5, it will be noted that the wheels which are usedin my vehicle are mounted directly upon the brake drums 39. Five bolts5l are anchored in the periphery of each brake drum and a conical-shapedwasher 52 is secured upon each bolt. Wheel rims 63 are provided, theserims being of the drop center type, each having an inwardly extendingdisc 54 welded thereto. Five openings are provided in each disc 54, onefor each of the bolts 6|, with the metal of the disc adjacent to theseopenings being deformed so as to extend down into the conical-shapedwashers 62. Nuts 65 are threaded upon each bolt 6I, these nuts havingconical-shaped coacting faces so that the metal of the disc 54 isclamped between the washers 52 and the nuts 65. It will be noted thatthe material of the washers 52 is considerably thicker than the discs64. The discs may be made of thinner material than has heretofore beencustomary because the gripping action of the nuts 65 does not tend todistort the material of the discs. A hub cap 'I0 is xedly secured to thecenter of each disc 64 to thereby complete the wheel assembly.

In order to transmit the drive from the motor to the front wheels shafts66 are provided inthe axle 24, and one-half of a universal joint 51 issecured to the outer end of each shaft within the spherical members 32and 35. The other half of each joint extends outwardly through thespindles 36 where they are splined to sleeve 58, these sleeves havingradially extending flanges 59 formed thereon by means of which thesleeves are secured to the hubs 38. Rotation of the shafts 55 therebyrotates the wheels through the universal joints 51.

The rear wheels of my vehicle are of the same general description as thejust described front vwheels but diier therefroml in that no drive isprovided. Similarly, the brakes which are provided for the rear wheelsof the vehicle are identical to the brakes shown in Figure 5, with theexception that conventional king pins are employed in place of the pins33 so that the hous- -ings 44 are fastened to the lower end of theseking pins. In each case the brake operating rods extend diagonallythrough the radius rods, the

longitudinal movement of which applies the brakes.

Referring to Figure 7, the two brake operating housed within theadjacent ends of the radius rods. A tension rod de is connected to thefree end of the arm le and extends axially out through ythe center ofthe ball joint i5 so that forward movement of the rod it simultaneouslyapplies both of the rear wheel brakes.

The rearmost ends of each of the rods il are joined together and to anarm 51B which is housed within asutable housing formed by the rearmostends of the radius rods 25 and the torque vtube 23. The arm 551s securedon a shaft 5i, this shaft extending out through the side of the radiusrod. an operating lever 52 is secured thereto. The free end of the lever52 is fastened to a rod 53, which extends forwardly where it is securedto a brake pedal 56.' Consequently, the application of the pedal 55moves the lever 5t to thereby draw the rods il rearwardly therebyapplying both front Y wheel brakes of the vehicle.

Referring to Figure 8, it will be noted that a second lever 55 ispivotally secured in position adjacent to the lever 52 and that a pairof coacting ears 55 are formed on the adjacent ends of these leverswhich coact with each other substantially as a pair of gear teeth sothat when the lever 52 is moved clockwise the lever 55 will be moved ina counterclockwise direction through the same angular degree. The lowerend of the lever 55 is secured directly to the tension rod 49 so thatupon application of the lfront wheel brakes the rear brakesy willsimultaneously bel applied.

From Figure 1 it will be seen that an auxiliary rod 51 extends from asuitable lever which is secured to the shaft 5I, thisrod 51 extendingforwardly where it is secured to an emergency brake lever 58 whereuponapplication of either the foot pedal 54 or the brake lever 58 will applythe brakes on all four wheels of the vehicles.

Figure9 illustrates a simple and very effective means for securing thebrake rods 49, 5 3 and 51 to their respective operating levers. The freeends of each of the levers are threaded as at 58,

while a tapped eye 60 is formed in the ends of negligible and is nodetriment to the action of the device. The important feature of thistype of connection is that the brake rods cannot become loose nor canthey be assembled in a man- I ner that would possibly allow them tobecome loosened. vThe ordinary type connection depends upon cotter keysor similar fastenings which may or may not be installed correctly,whereas with 4this connection it is impossible to install the device inany way in which the rod could accidentally become detached from thelever.

Among the many advantages arising from the use of my improved device, itmay be well to mention that the motor used herein is "placed directlyover the rear axle which is of the drop center type so that the centerof gravity of the motor is very low. This motorl location furtherpermits a. streamlined body to be used in which the passengercompartment is provided intermediate of the axlesl without necessitatingan excessively long body.

A further advantage results in that my improved brake system is almostfully enclosed.

Still a further advantage results in that due to the four-wheel steeringemployed wherein the front wheels swing through a 50 per cent greater.range than the rear wheels very eiiicient operation of the wheeluniversal jointsis assured while still maintaining a small turningradius and while eliminating the inherent defects in the four-wheelsteered type ofvehicle. y

Some changes may be made in the arrangement, construction andAcombination of the various parts comprising my improved device withoutdeparting from the spirit;of my invention, and it is my intention tocover by my claim Such changes as may reasonably be included within thescope thereof.

I claim asmy invention: f

A mechanism for operating the brakes of a steerable vehicle wheelcomprising, a verticali king-Din around which said wheel oscillates. adetachable housing whichextends from position beneath said pin inwardlytoward the center of the vehicle, the inner end of said housing beingsupported upon the axle of said vehicle, a'nd the outer end of saidhousing being provided with a vertical pin which is formed integrallytherewith' and which extends upwardly into an axial bore in saidking-pin so as tosupport said housing, and a shaft rotatably mountedwithin said housing, said shaft having an operating cam' disposed on itsend which is adjacent to said king-pimwhich cam coacts with the brakesasso-

